English | Spanish

Lead Instructor(s)
Date(s)
Apr 23 - Jun 18, 2024
Registration Deadline
Location
Online
Course Length
8 weeks
Course Fee
$3,200
CEUs
6.4 CEUs
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Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a process to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with a product, process, service, or activity by identifying and quantifying energy, materials usage, and environmental releases, assessing the impact of those, and evaluating and implementing opportunities to affect environmental improvements.

Course Overview

 

The course serves as a starting point for conducting a life cycle analysis (LCA), in accordance with the methods and policies defined by the International Standardization Organization (ISO). Information surrounding the life cycle of a product, process, service, or activity is useful for making decisions about design, policy, acquisition, and corporate strategy while integrating sustainability into your organization's practices.

Life Cycle Assessment: Quantifying Environmental Impacts, with curriculum developed and taught by MIT faculty, is delivered in collaboration with Global Alumni. Contact Global Alumni for more information about this program:

Global Alumni is an ed-tech company that collaborates with institutions to manage enrollments (including all payment services and invoicing), technology, and participant support. 
 

Learning Outcomes

In the Life Cycle Assessment course, you will gain knowledge in collecting data from products and processes as well as:

  • Learn to define the objective and scope of a LCA
  • Collect primary data from inventories and secondary data from database
  • Quantify the environmental impacts of products, using various impact assessment methods
  • Interpret the results of an LCA through the prism of uncertainty
  • Support the decisions using an LCA

“We have people who have specialized in materials science, engineering and in economics and environment. My specific background is about trying to tie those things together, particularly engineering, economics and environmental issues.” - Jeremy Gregory, Executive Director, MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium

Who Should Attend

A wide range of professionals may benefit from this program, including: 

  • Consultants of manufacturing companies who must be aware of current sustainability policies and how to enact them within an organization.
  • Data Scientists and Engineers involved in conducting LCAs.
  • Legislative bodies implementing policies regarding sustainable manufacturing practices.
  • Companies in industries concerned with meeting or setting carbon targets, or hoping to reduce their impact on the environment.
  • Accounting firms analyzing procedure and process costs of product creation and duration.

Testimonials

Very well crafted course, particularly for working professionals. I work with LCA practitioners to commission different LCAs and then communicate the results internally. This course has been very beneficial in improving my understanding of the LCA process, and has empowered me to ask the right questions to practitioners, and answer the questions I get internally more confidently. Thanks for opening the windows of opportunity to me!
ANUP JOSHI / Quality Lead, Stantec
Brochure
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